We had plans to go to Lae (a city on the coast) this weekend to visit our friends. Our plans changed when we heard that the Kingston Bridge (our main supply line) had collapsed when a fuel tanker was crossing it:

The truck is totaled, but driver is okay:

The same cannot be said for the bridge though:

For comparison, here’s what the bridge looked like BEFORE the collapse:

This river is a major source of water for a lot of people in the area.  In order to limit the water contamination, the owner of the tanker told people to empty the tanker and fill up their fuel cans:

This is the bridge right before Kainantu (the closest town to Ukarumpa). This is the bridge you have to cross to get anywhere from Ukarumpa. This is the bridge that has been in ill-repair the whole time we’ve been here (and well before we ever got here). This is the bridge that made everyone who ever drove across it nervous until they were safely on the other side. This is the bridge that all of the food and supplies for all of Ukarumpa has come across up until now. In summary, Ukarumpa is essentially cut-off from the rest of PNG by road until there is a replacement bridge installed. The only feasible way in and out of here is by plane or foot.

When will the bridge be fixed? We have NO idea…this is PNG, “The Land of the Unexpected”. The store is currently well stocked with food. The market will continue to be well stocked by the local farmers. The autoshop is low on fuel (the fuel tanker that broke the bridge was on its way to Ukarumpa) so fuel is being rationed to 5 liters per family per week with the request to walk as much as possible so as to conserve fuel.

Obviously this is a situation that needs to be covered in prayer. We are NOT in a state of emergency. We can always fly supplies in (but that would send prices through the roof!). There are people working on coming up with creative/reasonable ways of getting supplies across the river until a new bridge is installed… possibly a zipline… who knows. Maybe they could do something like this:

JUST KIDDING!!

The bridge JUST went down, so our organization is in the beginning stages of figuring out what to do.

Thank you for your prayers.